I guess I do not understand all the talk about the paddle shifters. I did not buy the RDX because it had paddle shifters. Did anyone?

I have driven manuals most of my life and my first automatic was my last car, the TL. The sports stick 'thing' was cute and occasionally useful when driving in the snow here in Chicago. But I never even thought to 'compare' it to a manual transmission. If I had wanted that, I would have bought that.

I love the RDX (so far at least). This is my first turbo. I had read about the lag time but given that the turbo kicks in a 5 mph instead of 35 mph, I appreciate that it works at the lower speeds. The lag is somewhat noticeable but I have not found that it prevents me from 'doing what I need to do' on the road.

 

I have both vehicles (2007 MDX Sport/2007 RDX Tech). Both drivetrains are different animals. I'll run with you my MDX and show you how the SH-AWD works inconjunction with the 300 hp VTEC engine in sport shift mode. Also I'll have the sport button on which activates the sports suspension...... The MDX is more refined sport/Lux combo. The RDX is fun to drive, but not for a daily driver as I find it too noisey and bouncy stiff ride......

 

Granted the ride is more rough than my TL, but that was something I noticed during my test drive. My old Prelude had a tighter suspension than the TL also and it was a good thing. It ain't a MDX or an RL.

But I disagree with you regarding daily driving. I have a 75 minute commute each way for work. I find the drive quite enjoyable -- especially with the the sound system and the Nav traffic info. It does not get me there any faster but it makes the drive a little more fun.

In the end, its all about expectations. I got what I was looking for and so far everything is working. Not everyone is an 'early adopter' of stuff. I think you take a risk buying a first year model of anything so you better be prepared for the 'shakedown cruise'. But with Acura, I was pretty confident that they would not produce a piece of crap and that they would stand behind their work with good customer service. My dealer is one of the best in Illinois and they have never disappointed me.

 

I wonder how the BMW X3 with the sport suspension compares with the RDX in terms of noisy and "bouncy stiff ride"? I started this thread with discussion of the powertrain but, I do also find the rough ride and road/wind noise a bit objectionable. I drive about 150 miles a day -mostly highway driving at 80 mph- and appreciate serenity on the way home. But I do love the sporty handling. I find myself looking at X3's because they probably match or exceed the RDX on all attributes -except perhaps reliability- and the are available with a manual tranny. Thoughts?

 

You mentioned in one of your posts that you get your RDX serviced at one of the best dealers in Illinois. I am curious who that dealer is. I live in Schaumburg and bought an RDX in February from Woodfield Acura in Hoffman Estates. I have not needed to take it back yet and I am hoping their service is good. However, I will travel to get good service in case I am not satisfied.

 

Hey that's where I got my RDX. It's OK, I guess. I only took my car there once for an A1 service. They did try to charge me something like $40 to install the cargo net, but other than that I had no problems with them.

I'm actually closer to the Acura in Arlington Heights, I didn't get my RDX there because they wanted me to buy options I didn't want and buy a color I didn't want. They wouldn't order the Royal blue for me, so I drove directly from the Alington Heights Acura to the Woodfield Acura and gave me exactly what I wanted. I had to wait 3 weeks but it was worth it. So, I guess I can say Woodfield is great in Sales department.

 

I have heard that Woodfield Acura is very good for service. Haven't needed to take my car in yet (purchased in February) but will probably go there for my first oil change.

I have not test drove the X3 but believe the ride quality is not much better than the RDX. I have heard complaints about the comfort of the X3 seats but I'm sure that is a matter of preference.

I imagine a lot of people stay away from manual transmissions as most of their driving is in urban areas and stop and go traffic will kill your left leg (your commute is better suited for a manual tranny). Since you've been driving the RDX for a little while you should be able to compare the two vehicles pretty well after test driving the X3.

 

This post is in response to the Woodfield Acura question.

I have been using that dealership for the past 8 years and I have NEVER had a bad experience there. The service department is top-notch, they go out of there way to satisfy their customers, and the place is spotlessly clean.

When I bought my TL from them back in 2000, they did not have extra polish/cleaner for my interior to give me. One of the persons in service lived somwhat close to me and actually brought the stuff 'to my house' on a Saturday afternoon on her way back from the service center the following week. I was quite impressed with that.

The sales department is very easy to work with and they are very loyal to their repeat customers. I have bought my last two vehicles from them and have been very pleased.

Woodfield Acura is the either 1st or 2nd in th midwest region for sales and service.

 

This thread never tires!

I drove both with intentions of leasing BMW or buying RDX. The deal was better that way. Any How, I always wanted a bimmer! Darn, after driving both (the same night) I was so dissappointed.

X3: In a nut shell, the seats are stiffer, and the backseat passenger hated the ride. The techno package is essentially "No tech" said it before, the Jap's have it all over the germans there...unless I care that the front lights have little wipers on them (RDX... Not). The ride, and handling on the X3 is supurb, as is RDX. The X3 is a V6, yes, no lag time, and very fun to drive as well, but not a better vehicle, or buy. I guess it matters what I mean by "better."

 

I test drove the X3 yesterday. It was an '07 with an auto and no sport or premium package. No manual was available to drive. First thing: the BMW's auto with their sublime and upgraded inline six was as miserable to me as the RDX and '07 TL I recently loaned. I just hate autos so, I suppose this is my problem. Then comes the rest of the vehicle. Compared to our RDX's, the X3 was kind of a joke. As so many pro reviewers have written, the X3 has ridiculous ride/suspension dynamics (even without the sport suspension). It shakes, jolts up and down and sideways and beats you up. The interior still feels cheap and dated and the engine feels weak compared to a current 328i manual sedan. In a word, the X3 lacks refinement and allows the shine of the RDX to be seen more clearly --in spite of my powertrain blues.

 

Actually, it's beginning to look like the manufacturers may not believe there is an adequate return even on sports/GT cars with manuals. Both Mitsubishi and VW may release the new Evo and R32 with paddle shifted dual-clutch autos only.

They appear to think they are luring the upscale buyer who likes his Beamer valet parked right outside the nightclub and can't be bothered to shift by himself while he's texting a stock trade.

They might be right too; these cars are well into the low end of the premium class: generally beyond the reach of the kids who are slamming Civics, GTIs and the grand old gen 1 DSM.

I think they're wrong; one need not be Fast and Furious to appreciate the purity and oneness that only comes with a manual. I hope there are enough successful "A" types out there who want their premuim sport X-over with a snickety Honda manual and minus the electric green hues and Fokker Triplane wing.

Perhaps desperate Mitsu and shaky VW are pushing the new technology for some critically needed quick cash and brand sheen.

Honda, however can afford niche products and I have already advised my dealer that he can be expecting a second RDX order just as soon as I can check-mark the manual box.

 

I'd like to see one as well.

Right now the RDX in one flavor must be feature rich for wide appeal.

The present trans may be top gear limited to accomodate Marketing's desire to provide attractive towing capacity (1500 lbs).

With no power changes the 6 speed manual with a HW touring ratio will likely tow less.

 

>Fokker Triplane wing.

LMAO. Indeed.

 

The following is excerpted from some of my posts on an Acura RDX site: I'm disappointed in the powertrain. I've owned my RDX since November 2006 and have driven over 11,000 miles so far (as of yesterday I had 17,000 miles on the RDX). Over all, the RDX is worthy of its praise, it's solid, handles well, is safe, reliable, comfortable etc. etc. I am not minimizing its attributes. Maybe the problem is me. It's pretty much my first automatic vehicle ever -in almost 30 years. That, coupled with the turbo-4 and ..... I feel that I am usually playing the "wait for power" game. Between the turbo's lag -yes it really exists- and the transmission's being in too high a gear 25-50% of the time, I find myself cussing this powertrain ---in an otherwise very good vehicle. I press the pedal 3/4 and... nothing. I am still in second gear at 5-10 MPH waiting for the power which doesn't appear. Where is first!!? Wait.... Throw it into S-Manual mode. Nice try. Paddle shifters sound like a good idea but are limited in practice. To shift from 5th to 2nd for example requires three depresses on the left shift paddle at slow intervals. If the paddle is popped three times in rapid succession, nothing happens! The system responds slowly. And, there is no way to know definitively what gear one is in without checking the dashboard readout. This, on top of the turbo's lag and the auto box's upshift happy tendency in either "D" or "S" modes, leads to a very frustrating driving experience for the seasoned manual transmission driver. Another observation of powertrain characteristics: During normal driving around town, when more power is called for by rapidly depressing the accelerator .5 inches to a full inch, there is a one to two second blip when the power actually diminishes before a downshift. This is such a shame because the RDX is otherwise such a fine and high-powered performance vehicle. Count me as 'starting to look for my next vehicle". Too bad. With one of Honda/Acura's fine manuals, this would pretty much all be moot.

I met someone recently who test drove the RDX and ruled it out because of powertrain lag. He noted that in a situation such as maneuvering into a hole in tight traffic, acceleration response was unreliable and unpredictable. The only way to be assured of power is to nearly punch it.

On top of powertrain issues, the RDX has a very rough hard ride which gets uncomfortable over many miles –even on the highway. Moreover, road and wind noise are pronounced at hwy speeds of 75 mph and above. On the plus side, after 17,000 miles, the only reliability/quality problem I experienced were a couple of intermittent rattles that mostly diminished over time. Fuel economy averaged 20 mpg at 80 percent highway driving at about 80 MPH.

When I drove the A3 last night it was a breath of fresh air in the form of good throttle response, quick nimble handling, manual transmission control (!!), quietness, non-SUV styling and girth as well as greater overall refinement than the Acura.

 

No More Powertrain Blues. I traded in my RDX yesterday for an '07 Audi A3 2.0T manual transmission. It's a blast. I can only hope that My Audi will be as reliable as my Acura. I wish everyone on this forum the best. Signing off...

 

So I'm there, stopped at a stoplight and a lexus RX330 is next to me. Accross the intersection, my lane was closed due to construction, so my idea was to out acclerate the RX and get in front of the RX. Feeling confident, I watched the light. The way the RX was creeping, I knew that the driver was not going to let me into HER, yes her, lane without a fight. No worries, I have the RDX. Light turns green. I floor the gas pedal, nothing. I hear the engine reving up, but that is not my engine. It's the engine of the RX reving up. Still no response from my RDX. The RX starts moving forward. Nothing from my RDX still. RX is about a yard out in front of me and only then does my RDX start to rev up, but weakly. To make the long story short, I had to tuck my tail between my legs and pull in behind the RX. I swear some day the lag in accleration in the RDX when you floor it is going to kill someone. Oh, and don't tell me it's turbo lag. Because it isn't turbo lag. With turbo lag, the engine still responds instantly but weakly. This was the engine taking it's sweet time finishing it's last few gulps of tea before it decided to respond to my inputs.

 

Interesting story, i've had my fair share of stories like this however I do believe your over exaggerating a bit. From the way your story started with the flooring pedal then nothing... rx speeds up, rdx still nothing and then rdx FINALLY starts revving up? I find that hard to believe. The rdx obviously has turbo lag from a dead stop but its not like the engine doesnt rev up either. If you floor the pedal the lag should only be a second at most as the car starts really moving once the revs build up.

I think most people when they need the acceleration feel like it takes an eternity for the Rdx lag to disappear when it really isnt that bad. I know that when i FLOOR the pedal, lag is only there for maybe 1 second then the car takes off

 

hobbesk - I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. It is NOT turbo lag. It just has moments where it takes a second or two to get going in first.

By any chance, was your AC on? I think this contributes to the delay a lot in stop and go traffic... It shouldn't. It doesn't always, but it does it...and no, flooring it does not change a thing (for at least a second or two)

 

i'm not exaggerating. As you said there's a lag for about a second. If you really think about it. The time it takes the RX to get about a yard ahead of me is about a second. Besides when you are in a emergency situation, 1 second is not some thing you can spare. From what I was feeling, it felt more like a delay in the fuel pump rather then the turbo. It felt as if the fuel pump decided to wait about a second before pumping more fuel to the engine. Please dont feel like I'm bashing the RDX. Its a great car for my wife and my 11mos kid. I love the car, but I kid you not, there is a lag in the accleration at any time when you floor the engine. It probably has to do with the throttle by wire issue. Keep in mind there will be a service bulletin some time in the future regarding this issue.

 

Interesting. yes the AC was on.

 

Porche... there is NO exaggeration whatsoever.

Sometimes (most times) it takes of instantly.

Other times (too many of them) it just sits there like you have a 1 cyl engine trying to push a 4000lb car for a second or two - and then a V8 kicks in.

 

AC for me too.... But AC doesn't guarantee the delay...
Sometimes it is fine with the AC on, but it never has that delay without the AC.

???

 

Hm... i do agree with the lag but other times its worse im not too sure about. My car pretty much responds the same way in regards to the lag issue. Maybe its because I just smash the pedal haha. I'm sure a/c might have an effect on the lag as well. But hey if anything, you can brake boost a bit to jump off the line if you really need it. I actually lined up with an fx35 that was going to go for sure and the guy had no chance since i jumped off the line. Now obviously brake boosting isn't healthy for your car so I wouldn't recommend doing it but in those certain situations it does help.

 

(off-topic)Glad you got into something that made you more happy, Did you try the DSG? I own a 06 Audi A4 with the multitronic transmission, and I have heard nothing but good things about DSG, and that 2.0T is one of the best 4cyl turbos out, literally no turbo lag and plenty of torque, I am thinking about replacing my A4, and I would go for something with DSG but with Audi its only offered in the A3 correct? And sorry to hear about your RDX blues.

 

This lag, most likely NOT the turbo lag, has me concerned. The description sounds exactly like the problem my V-6 5-speed Toyota Highlander had. Because the hesitation was unpredictable and dangerous I ditched this vehicle after one year of ownership. It was a truly miserable machine to drive. I do know the drive by wire technology was blamed, however, the HL 4 cylinders did not have this problem. Perhaps they were not drive by wire, I don't know.

So far, my RDX has not demonstrated this. I don't know if I could stand another hesitator. For those of you experiencing this problem, I totally sympathize. How soon after purchase did it begin?

 

It became dangerous and intolerable when the air temperature rose above 70 degreed Fahrenheit. It may be important to mention that I live and drive at high altitude -5000 to 7000 feet.

I did try the DSG. It is very nice for an automatic. Better than any other. It still is not a manual with a clutch and shifter. So it did not do it for me.

 

We have finally had some fairly warm weather up here and I have started using the A/C. This is the first time I have been disapointed in the performance of this vehicle. The A/C does definitley take away from the performance from a dead stop and I don't just mean at wot. It definitley puts a drain on it and does increase the lag, so one needs to be aware of it.

 

My RDX has been pretty peppy, but then again, I don't have high expectations for off-the-line acceleration in a 4000lb vehicle with automatic transmission and a turbo-4. There is way too much syrup in that powertrain to begin with, even on paper.

If you really need to step off the line, power brake it gently. That always works, and if you are careful it won't add any wear and tear on the car.

 

Don't forget heatsoak from the topmount IC. That will sap hot weather stoplight power. Wish they had a factory IC sprayer like the STi.

 

My sister has an A4 1.8T. A/C was dead after 37,000 miles. Cost $2400 to replace.

Ex-girlfriend has a Passat V6. She wound up buying an extended warranty because the vehicle spent so much time at the dealer in the first few years.

This is all OT, but when you think about alternatives to the RDX, you have to factor in life with the vehicle over the long term. With a lot of Acura's competitors (like Audi) the reliability problems are just too significant.

 

wow cant believe all these off the line woes....i mean yea there is a little turbo lag but when i floor it from a dead stop ac on or off, give it 1-1.5sec and u feel the accel kicken you back a little bit. Maybe try putting shifter in sport mode? idk if that would help. If it is still that bad, maybe it needs a checkup? Anyone else not having this problem? IDK if this will help but my vin is actually earlier 000975.

 

The only problem that I have had with my Audi was a Airbag light, they took care of it promptly and even stayed past service hours to fix it so I could have my car back the same day, They also have free maintenance on my model year, they did provide a free loaner car while it was in the shop for the day, as they always do when I bring in my car in. 30K miles.

 

I agree 100%. I never really understand the whole new theme of "auto-sticks."

Plus, I wonder how long this transmission will last? I know Honda already have had some issues with auto tranny. Having auto-stick will even make it worse.

It's not the same where you let the car to change gear by little buttons without clutch vs. manual. You lose the feel of the car.

 

why did she have to pay 2400 dollars? Audi warranty is upto 50k miles?

I heard many horror stories about warranty issues on VW and Audis, but then some with wonderful experiences with them also. I am somewhat in a market for a new car and my top choices are A3 and RDX. I don't like the idea of turbo/4cyl in a 4000lb SUV, and I'm not a fan of the gas milege. I love the look of RDX and whole layout, but the price, gas milege and turbo/4cyl idea turns me off...
I love the A3s, the idea of 5door wagon/hatch, good gas milege, nice interior like the RDX, but the reliability issues are my concern.